Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
After marching down Miller Avenue, hundreds of protesting teachers, along with parents and children, turned out for a CUSD board meeting.
Fired Up
Teachers, parents frustrated with lack of progress in negotiations with CUSD
By Jennifer Zhang
Although the much-anticipated mediator attended the May 15 negotiation meeting, the Cupertino Union School District and its teachers have not been able to reach any resolutions. No change has taken place during the impasse except the growing frustration and anger of many of the teachers involved.
According to Jeff Warner, chief negotiator for the teachers, his negotiation team has altered its proposals and made suggestions but was met with rejections by the district each time.
"We have expressed our opinions and knowledge about the situation to the mediator and made some suggestions," he said. "There was no movement on the district side."
"We reviewed their suggestions," said William Bragg, CUSD superintendent. "I think they are the same kinds of concepts. We're all interested in reaching a solution but we need to come up with new and different ways to do that."
According to Janice Hagerbaumer, president of the Cupertino Education Association, the two sides could not agree on a 0.5 percent difference in the amount of money for health and welfare benefits for the last school year (the 2003-04 school year) of the three-year contract, which comes to about $1.2 million.
Hagerbaumer said that even if that money is available for teachers, it still would not be enough to cover benefits for the district's 1,100 employees.
"I'd love to be in a position to guarantee teachers' health benefits forever, but economic conditions don't allow us to do that," Bragg said. "It's difficult for the district to commit to future ongoing costs when we're not sure what our future revenue is going to be."
According to Warner and Hagerbaumer, the negotiating team as well as teachers are frustrated with the situation.
"There was no movement," Warner said. "We all want the issues to be settled fairly. We tried to come to a middle ground but all we hear is 'no way,' 'no,' etc. It shouldn't work that way. Respect needs to come both ways."
"I think the meeting was productive," said Josephine Lucey, a member of the board of education. "The two sides are fairly close, but there are still unsolved issues. I hope both sides would sit together and use the mediator as a facility to come up with fresh new ideas on how to spend the money that we have."
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
CUSD Board Member Ben Liao and Superintendent Dr. William Bragg address the overflow crowd of teacher protesters at Sedgwick Elementary School.
"I think the meeting offered the mediator an opportunity to get familiarized with all the issues on each side and figure out what the stumbling block is," Bragg added. "It's different from all the informal meetings we have had without the mediator. It was upfront and honest."
The six-hour meeting was preceded by another busy day for teachers and parents in the community. A march took place at 5:30 p.m. on May 14, during which many teachers and parents walked to Sedgwick Elementary School, where they participated in a school board meeting at 7 p.m. Marchers were carrying signs that included messages such as "Surviving in Cupertino requires a living wage" and "Keep good teachers in Cupertino."
Some students also participated in the march. Sean Shi, an eighth-grader at Kennedy Middle School, said, "I want to support my teachers; they are really hardworking."
"Parents are frustrated," said Teresa Lorenzen. "We're going to lose our teachers ... I am angry. We shouldn't be in this situation. I hope we will go into the next school year with all of this resolved. They also need to figure out a long-term method to prevent similar situations from happening in the future. I don't want to be back here again in two years."
Many outspoken parents gave speeches, during which some complained and some advised the district.
"I asked the board to be more flexible and work with teachers," said Pearl Hall, a parent who spoke at the meeting.
Many parents, including Hall, think that the budget has not been clear. Some demanded the situation be settled by June 13, the end of this school year.
Carol Emerich, a teacher at Sedgwick, said, "It's not about the money, but about respect and confidence in the administrators."
According to Hagerbaumer, before the meeting teachers had participated in a secret ballot in which they evaluated Bragg. She said that 90 percent of the voting teachers voted no confidence, while 3 percent countered; 6 percent abstained.
The next formal negotiation meeting with the mediator is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. on May 21.
Cupertino, California Since 1947
